Want to find out what youth think of our programs?

This section will give you our program participants' own stories, our stories about the youth in our programs, and COMING SOON will be videos from youth in our programs!

Our program participants want to share their thoughts about our programs with you!

"From the very beginning Step It Up Inc. has helped me develop key skills in preparing myself for the future. They not only educated me in the importance of how critical it is to understand the intricate steps in securing a job, but also how to prepare for college.  It’s not a skill where you just “wing it,” it’s a skill that has a certain technique to it. With this knowledge, I was able to establish many connections through my internship here at Step It Up Inc. Now I am currently doing an apprenticeship with Tice Industries through the Portland Metro-Youth Apprenticeship program and it’s been amazing. So here’s my word of advice, take every opportunity thrown at you and don’t be afraid to go out of your box. Just go out and have some fun!" Meyee is pursuing a career in Industrial Engineering and was in our Internship Program during the summer of 2009

"One of the biggest obstacles, in a child’s life, is convincing them to believe in their own abilities to succeed. I have personally witnessed this in my own life, my younger siblings’, and close friends’. Motivation, desire, and opportunity are the main ingredients to succeed. A problem occurs when family members, personal acquaintances, and even teachers don’t realize this.

The way Step It Up, Inc. helped me was to believe in myself and to not let failure bring me down, but rather learn from it. They also provided the opportunity for me to succeed by providing me with an internship at an engineering firm called GLUMAC in 2004. The motivation and opportunity aroused a great desire in me to succeed. This caused me to do more then what the company expected me to do. I proved that a 17-year-old teen could work at an engineering office, and even though I didn’t fully understand everything, I always put in the extra effort to understand.           

Today is March 12, 2008 and I still work at GLUMAC. I do electrical design, low voltage/technology design and lighting calculations and as a co-worker said, in a recommendation letter for a scholarship, “(Ricardo) typically exceeds the level of expectation one would have for someone in his position.”
Step It Up, Inc.’s mission statement is “to inspire the belief that all young people deserve a chance to prove their abilities and pursue their career dreams.” This is exactly what they inspired me to believe. I know this program can do great things for our youth.  I’m living proof of it." Ricardo now works at McKinstry after gaining four 1/2 years of work experience at GLUMAC 

We want to share our success stories of program participants with you too!

Asia spent her 2005 summer internship working at Associated Design Consultants, Inc. She was very valued by her mentors, Lori Ferrell and Sam Taylor IV, because of her exceptional organizational skills. Many people agree that Asia is a valuable resource: she was voted to represent Roosevelt High School as their Rose Festival Ambassador in 2006 and she was granted the Ron Herndon Scholarship from the Black United Fund in the same year. Asia attended Portland State University her freshman year in college and is now majoring in Pediatric Nursing at Portland Community College during her sophomore year. She is also on the Step It Up, Inc. Board of Directors.

Quang interned with eROI and e-marketing firm in Portland, OR in 2006 and he has been an exemplary success throughout his internship experience. They are so pleased with his abilities and enthusiasm for work that his mentor, Julie McCreery, and the President at eROI, Ryan Buchanan, have both requested that we provide them with "another Quang" for an internship ASAP. Working with eROI has turned Quang into a savvy young web developer with all the knowledge and tricks up his sleeve that other young web developers are hoping to obtain. He is currently working part-time at eROI while finishing his studies at Benson High School. He will begin his studies at Portland Community College and then plans to attend the Maseeh College of Engineering & Computer Science at Portland State University. He began his studies at PCC in the fall of 2007 while continuing to work at eROI!